Combined container and display rack



Aug. :25, 1953 M sTu GAP R COMBINED CONTAINER A ISPLAY 34 Li I RACK- I war/11111111 w 3 224 I 2 I mmm v n v 2 ,21 I] M Y [illlI Aug. 25, 1953 J. M. GAPSTUR ,6 9 7 COMB'INED CONTAINER AND DISPLAY RACK Fild Nov. 14; 1949 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG- 4 "w" I 32 I I 9 l I I 24 :55

'5 f 19 3 I '1 I I v I 13* l I E l l v \Jk-J INVENTOR. J. M. GAPSTUR BY ATTORNEY I J. M. GAPSTUR COMBINED CONTAINER AND DISPLA v 14, 1949 Shee ts-Sheet a FIG. 8 I 12 v v 31 4 28 mum lllliiilllfilllll I a 5 i l 4 1 \l 26 24 g x i rfllllii I l v I I Ilium W l WW muuulllmnnmmm i 1 'iifl Patented Aug. 25, 1953 UNITED S TATES ?AT E NT 0 FF ICE COMBINED CONTAINER AND DISPLAY RACK Joseph M. G'apstur, Ashland, Ohio ApplicationNovember 14, 1949, SerialNo. 126,960

provided with. transparent coverings or were 1 simply flat display cards which did not provide a good: View of the merchandise except from a full front view. Likewise, many of these prior art devices utilized complicated systems of tabs and cutouts which during folding and assembly operations were easily susceptible to .tearing or other damage which results in.v destroying the utility of the device.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a combined container and display rack 0 which may be conveniently formed from a. single blank offlexible' material such as cardboard and in which fold lines, cutouts and tabs are provided which permits forming a container for merchandise and when required, a display rack for the same.

It is a further object of this invention ,toprovide a combined container and display rack which when folded to form such'rack provides an upstanding panel in the form of a semicircle, the rack being adapted to be supported .at three points on a supporting surface.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combined container and display track in which means is provided for supporting anddisplaying articles of merchandise on-a semicircular panel and in which further means is provided v for suspending the rack from above.

It is a further object of'the inventionto provide a combined container and display rack which may be combined with a second identical rack to support and display articles of merchandise on a substantially cylindrical surface whereby such articles may be viewed from all points of a room in which the rack may be placed. a

It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined container'and display rack which when folded to form. such rack provides 'three angularly related display surfaces, the rack being adapted to be supported at three points. on. a supporting surface,

It is afurther object of the invention to provide a combined container and display rack in which means is provided for supporting and displaying articles of merchandise on three angularly related surfaces and in which further means is provided for suspending the rack from above.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combinedcontainer and display rack which may becombined with a second identical rack to support and display articles of merchandise on a substantially hexagonal surface whereby such articles maybe viewed from all points of a room in which the rack may be placed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combined container and display rack which when folded to form such rack provides two angu-larly related display surfaces, the rack being adapted to be supported at three points on a supporting surface.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combined container and display rack in which means is provided for supporting and displaying articles of merchandise on two angularly related surfaces and in which further means is provided for suspending the rack from above.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combined container and display rack which may be combined with a second identical rack to support and display articles of merchandise on a substantially square surface whereby such articles may be viewed from any point. of a room in which the rack may be placed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combined container and display rack which may be conveniently stamped from flexible sheet material, such as cardboard, by a relatively simple die, thus resulting in an extremely economical device which conveniently serves the dual function of transporting and protecting the merchandise and which may be folded to form an attractive and efficient display rack.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combined container and display rack in which an extending tab forms a finger engaging portion when said device comprises a container and. which becomes a supporting foot when said device comprises a display rack.

It isa further object of the invention to provide a combined container and display rack formed from a single sheet of flexible material and in which relatively few cutouts and tabs are provided in order to avoid damage thereto and consequent loss of utility.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specifica- 3. tion taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a plan view of the blank forming the device prior to folding into either a container or a display rack;

Fig. 2, a view in perspective of the device folded to form a container and showing the projecting tab forming a finger engaging portion;

Fig. 3, a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4, a perspective view of the device folded to form a display rack with articles of merchandise supported thereby;

Fig. 5, a perspective rear view of the device shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6, a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. '7, a fragmentary sectional View on the line l'| of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8, a plan view of a modified blank forming the device prior to folding into either a container or a display rack having three angularly related display surfaces;

Fig. 9, a perspective view of the device shown in Fig. 8 folded to form a display rack having three angularly related display surfaces;

Fig. 10, a top plan view of a further modified blank forming the device prior to folding into either a container or a display rack having two angularly related display surfaces; and,

Fig. 11, a perspective View of the modified form of the device shown in Fig. 10 folded to form a display rack having two angularly related display surfaces.

With continued reference to the drawing, there is show in Fig. 1 a blank ll! of flexible material such as cardboard and which has been cut by a die stamping operation or other equivalent means and which provides a front panel II, a rear panel [2, a second rear panel [3, a bottom panel l4, and a top panel l5. Any number of blanks It! may be provided in flat condition to be folded into a container or display rack when desired and to facilitate such folding operations the rear panel [2 is provided with spaced parallel fold lines is and I? connecting the same to the front panel H, the second rear panel [3 having spaced fold lines I8 and I9 connecting the same to the front panel ll, the bottom panel l4 having spaced fold lines 25 and 2| connecting the panel to front panel H and top panel l5 having spaced fold lines 22 and 23 connecting the same to front panel H. The above mentioned fold lines may either comprise depressions in the material or if the nature of the material warrants these may be scores therein.

In order to support articles of merchandise on the front panel H when utilized as a display rack, a plurality of tabs 24 formed by partially severing the material of the panel may be provided, these tabs being of any convenient form to adequately support the articles and yet not interfere with the convenient removal of the same upon making a sale.

Rear panel i2 is provided with spaced pairs of angular slots 25 and 26 which cooperate with tabs 2'! provided on the second rear panel 13 in a manner to be presently described. Rear panels l2 and I3 are likewise provided with apertures 2B and 29, respectively, the function of which will be presently described.

The fold line 2! joining bottom panel 14 to front panel ll does not extend across the entire width of front panel H but is interrupted adjacent the midpoint thereof to provide an 3 2 11 9- I ing tab 30 which is formed by severing the material at this point between the front line 21 and the front line 20. The tab 30 function as a finger engaging portion when the device is formed into a container, as shown in Fig. 2, or provides a supporting foot for the front panel H when the device is formed into a display rack, as shown in Figs. 4 and '7.

If desired, the top panel [5 may be provided with notches 3| and a wavy portion 32 in the edge thereof to cooperate with printed matter on the panel l5 and front panel II in order to provide a pleasing decorative effect and to enhance the advertising potentialities of the device. Obviously, these notches and wavy portions may be duplicated wherever desired or other configurations may be employed in order to blend with a particular decorative motif.

In utilizing the device of this invention as a container the bottom and top panels [4 and I5, respectively, are folded inwardly along fold lines 20, 2|, 22, and 23 to overlie the front panel H, the rear panel [2 is folded inwardly along fold lines 18 and I! to overlie bottom and top panels 14 and [5, as well as the front panel II, and the second rear panel I3 is folded inwardly along fold lines [8 and H! to be superimposed upon the previously folded panels with the tabs 21 engaged in the angular slots 25. This operation results in a relatively flat rectangular container as shown in Fig. 2 in which the articles of merchandise may be protected for transportation or storage and in which the projecting tab 30 provides a convenient finger engaging portion for extracting any desired container from a stack. Obviously the various panels are folded in the proper direction to leave printed matter on the front panel exposed in order that the contents of the container may be readily ascertained.

In utilizing the device as a display rack the container as shown in Fig. 2 is opened and the articles of merchandise contained therein are placed in position on the tabs 24. These articles, such as toy balloons 33 will hang down therefrom in order to allow adequate inspection thereof by the purchasing public. The display rack is erected by folding bottom panel l4 inwardly along fold line 2| to overlie the rear surface of front panel H and by folding rear panels I2 and I3 rearwardly along fold lines I! and [9 until these panels overlap with tabs 21 engaging in angular slots 26 thus imparting a bowed or semicircular shape to the front panel I I as clearly shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. In this use of the device the top panel I5 is not folded inwardly but remains upstanding in order to display advertising matter and to extend the display surface of the front panel ll.

As will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 4, 5, and 7, the display device may be conveniently supported on a surface by the extending tab 30 and by the rear corners 34 and 35 which provide a three-point support to compensate for irregularities in the supporting surface and to provide a more stable structure. If desired, the display device may be suspended from above by a cord or the like which may be secured in apertures 28 and 29 which, as shown in Fig. 5, register with each other when rear panels [2 and I3 are folded and interlocked to form the display device. Also if desired, a second identical display device may be positioned back to back with the first display device with the apertures 28 and 29 of each device in registration and the suspending means passing through both Sets Of apertures thus providing a display device in which the front panels I I form substantially a cylinder, thus-rendering the articles of merchandise 33 visible from all parts of a room.

In Figs. 8 and 9 there is shown a modified form of the device in'which there is'provided' a blank 36similar to the blank In of Fig. 1 but in which two additional score lines 31 and 38 divide the front panel into three panels 39, 40, and 4|, these score lines also dividing bottompanel l4 and top panel I5 into three sections.

In utilizing the modified form of the device shown in Figs. 8 and 9 as a display rack the container shown in Fig. 2 is opened and the articles of merchandise contained therein are placed in position on tabs 24. These articles, such as toy balloons 33, will hang down therefrom in order to allow adequate inspection thereof by the purchasing public. The display rack is erected by folding bottom panel |4 inwardly along fold line 2| to overlie the rear surface of the panels 39, 40, and 4| and by folding rear panels I2 and I3 rearwardly along fold lines l1 and I9 until these panels overlap with tabs 21 engaging in angular slots 26 thus providing three angularly related display surfaces 39, 40, and 4| divided at the score lines 31 and 3B. The erected display rack is shown in Fig. 9 and it is to be noted that the top panel I5 is not folded inwardly but remains upstanding in order to display advertising matter and to extend the display surface of each of the three angularly related surfaces 39, 40, and 4|.

As in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 4 to 7, the display device may be conveniently supported on a surface by the tab and the rear corners 34 and 35 which provide a three point support to compensate for irregularities in the supporting surface and to provide a more stable structure. Also, as in the original form of the invention the display device may be suspended from above by a cord or the like which may be secured in apertures 28 and 29 which, as shown in Fig. 5, register with each other when rear panels l2 and I3 are folded and interlocked to form the display device. Also, if desired, a second identical display device may be positioned back to back with the first display device with the apertures 28 and 29 of each device in registration and the suspension means passing through both sets of the apertures thus providing a display device in which the surfaces 39, 40, and 4| form a substantial hexagon thus rendering the articles of merchandise 33 visible from all parts of a room.

A still further modified form of the device is shown in Figs. 10 and 11 in which a blank 42 similar to the blank ||l of Fig. 1 is provided with a single score line 43 dividing the front panel in half to provide two display surfaces 44 and 45. Score line 43 divides bottom panel l4 and top panel l5 into equal parts.

In utilizing this form of the invention as a display rack the articles of merchandise, such as toy balloons 33, are placed in position on the tabs 24 and the rack erected by folding the bottom panel l4 inwardly along fold line 2| to overlie the rear surface of display panels 44 and 45. The rear panels l2 and |3 are folded rearwardly along fold lines I! and I9 until these panels overlap with tabs 21 engaging in angular slots 25 thus folding the front panel along score line 43 to provide two angularly related display surfaces on panels 44 and 45 as clearly shown in F g- 11- As before, the top panel I5 is not folded 6.- but remains upstanding in order to extend the display surfaces of the panels 44 and 45.

In this form of the. invention there is likewise provided a three-point support formed by the extended top 3!!v and the rear corners 3t and 35 and thedevicemay be-suspended from above by a. cord 'or the like which may be secured in apertures 28 and-2.9 which,.as shown in Fig. 5, register With each other when rear panels l2 and I3 are folded and interlocked .to form the display rack. As in the previously described modifications, a second identical displaydevice may be positioned back to back with the first display device with the apertures 28 and 29 in register and the suspension means being through both sets of apertures thus providing a display device in which the panels 44 and 45 form substantially a square surface thus rendering the articles of merchandise 33 visible from many points of a room.

It will thus be seen that by the above invention there has been provided a relatively simple, economical container for articles of merchandise, which container may be folded to form display racks for supporting and displaying the articles of merchandise on a bowed or semicircular surface or on a plurality of angularly related surfaces which renders the same visible from many parts of a room, which device may be placed on a supporting surface or which may be suspended from overhead and in which a second like device may be combined therewith to provide additional display surfaces. The device also utilizes a minimum number of cutouts and tabs in order to permit erection and interlocking of the same without danger of tearing or other damage, thus materially increasing the utility thereof and preventing loss due to tearing of projecting tabs or the like.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawing and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A container and display stand structure of flexible sheet material comprising a front panel for supporting articles for packaging and dis play, a first rear panel hingedly connected to one side edge of said front panel, a second rear panel hingedly connected to the other side edge of said front panel, each of said rear panels being substantially narrower than said front panel and being at least more than half the Width of said front panel, a top panel hingedly connected to the top of said front panel, a bottom panel hingedly connected to the bottom of said front panel, said front panel including an integral tab extending centrally beyond the bottom edge of said front panel and formed by cutting material from said bottom panel before said bottom panel is folded, top and bottom tab means at the free edge of said second rear panel for attachment to the first rear panel for securing the panels together for use as a container and a display stand, the first rear panel having a first top and bottom slots at its free edge for cooperation with the top and bottom tab means on said second rear panel for retaining the rear panels in approximately parallel relation to said front panel for service as a container, said first rear panel having second top and bottom slots adjacent its hinge line and spaced from said first top and bottom slots for cooperation with said top and bottom tab means of said second rear panel for maintaining said rear panels in chordal relation with respect to said front panel thereby arching said front panel for service as a display stand allowing a view of the articles positioned thereon from several directions, said integral tab of said front panel projecting beyond the bottom edge of said front panel as a leg for tilting the structure rearwardly when used as a display stand and when said containers are stacked said integral tab projects outwardly from the bottom edge as a handle for removing the container from a stack.

JOSEPH M. GAPSTUR.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Bruce June 25, 1929 Allen May 10, 1932 Palla Apr. 12, 1934 Lustig Feb. 18, 1936 Walters Sept. 1, 1942 Myers Aug. 15, 1944 Aranoff Oct. 14, 1947 

